| Responding to a 1-of-a-suit opening bid |
Last week we looked at 'raising partner's suit', i.e. what to do when you like the suit that partner opened.
What if you don't like partner's choice of suit...
If you don't have 4 cards in partner's suit, then you should offer a suit of your own! This must be a suit in which you have 4 cards yourself.
If partner's suit is a minor suit, even if you have 4-card support, it is frequently better to bid another suit if you have one.
Of course, if you have less than 6 HCP, you should just pass and cross your fingers, but if you have 6 or more, you must respond:
- If there is a suit that you can bid at the 1-level, do so! It promises a 4-card suit, and at least 6 HCP, but you could have many more points!
- To bid a suit at the 2-level, you should have at least 10 HCP, but you should only bid at the 2-level if you can't bid at the 1-level.
- If you can't bid a suit at the 1-level, and you aren't strong enough to bid at the 2-level, the only bid you can make is 1NT. This shows 6-9 HCP. It doesn't guanrantee a balanced hand, but just says 'I have nothing better to bid'.
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| Opener's Rebid with a balanced hand |
If you have a balanced hand and 12-14 HCP, you would of course have opened 1NT. If you have more than 14 HCP, it would be misleading to partner to open 1NT. The way to show your hand is to open 1 of a suit and bid No Trumps on the second round of bidding.
When you do this, not only do you let partner know that you are balanced (and show her one of your suits to boot), but you give partner a precise point count, depending on the level that you bid:
with 15-16 HCP you should bid NT at the lowest available level
with 17-18 HCP you should bid at one level higher, to show a few extra points
with 19 HCP, knowing that partner has at least 6 HCP, you know you have enough points for game, and can bid 3NT.
Thus:
After a 1-level suit response (e.g. after 1♥ - 1♠):
1NT - shows 15-16 HCP
2NT - shows 17-18 HCP
3NT - shows 19 HCP
After a 2-level suit response (e.g. after 1♥ - 2♣):
2NT - shows 15-16 HCP
3NT - shows 17-19 HCP
The following hand appeared at the club on the same evening as the lesson: |
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With 16 HCP and a balanced hand, West opens with 1 of a suit, intending to bids No Trumps at his second opportunity.
East could bid diamonds to show that he likes the suit, but as it is a minor suit, it is better to show his major suit by bidding 1♥.
Now West bids No Trumps at the lowest available level, 1NT after a 1-level response, to show 15-16 points.
East now knows that the partnership has at least 25 HCP between them (27-28 to be more precise), and should therefore know that they should choose a game contract. Again, he knows that they have a diamond fit, but with both hands being balanced, 3NT should be an easier contract to make than 5♦. |
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